


know what i have found

by doubtthestars



Series: with the sun in our eyes [5]
Category: Men's Football RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Werewolves Are Known, Body Worship, Holidays, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-06
Updated: 2019-05-06
Packaged: 2020-02-27 00:54:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18728386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doubtthestars/pseuds/doubtthestars
Summary: No matter what anyone else said, this wasn't a wedding.Basti and Niklas make it official on a full moon night.





	know what i have found

**Author's Note:**

> title from latch by disclosure. 
> 
> this is set before the events of a verb in perfect view.

"Are you ready to get werewolf married tonight?" Jo doesn't sound particularly smug or teasing, not like the others, but it still irks him enough to hit back.

"Should I ask why you invited Timo to the biggest wolf celebration of the year, your first as a wolf?" Basti isn't actually out for blood like half the team when it comes to Jo's maybe-love life. He respected that it wasn't any of his business, unless it happened to interfere with their small pack. So far, Niklas had been okay with the other wolf. 

But it was entirely too easy to make Joshua go red and that was very satisfying when he'd been hearing non-stop newlywed jokes for the last week and a half.

"I'm being polite. Timo's cool with it, being around to help me," Jo replies quickly and a touch too defensively, "and the Leipzig wolves seem really uptight about everything."

Basti had to agree with that, and he'd had to host Magnus at the house a few times which was an exercise in constant restraint. It was half a test and half an accomplishment to call the Alpha a good acquaintance. The Leipzig wolves had given him the stink eye for shaking Sabine's hand as they formally met each other's packs. Magnus had been _very_ annoyed on how Joshua's Turning Ceremony somehow ended up being hosted on Leipzig grounds over Munich or Stuttgart.

"Well, you know as well as I do that this isn't actually a ceremony." It was more of a tradition built on a heap of superstitions.

Joshua shrugs, "You're the one who's Niklas' wolfy soulmate, not me." 

At the mention of Niklas, he feels the absence of his presence pressing into him like unseen wind. He'd been out of his sight for the entire morning and would only be back at sundown when the bonfires were lit and the celebration started in earnest. They only had a few hours to reacquaint themselves yesterday after he'd driven down after his match and it felt like too little time before the wolf moon preparations started.

He missed him.

Whatever nerves he could have had were nothing compared to the excitement of tonight.

It would be the first time since the very first moon Niklas had come to him that they would stay together for the entire night of a full moon. Niklas, like most werewolves thought the change too gruesome and personal for ordinary people to witness. It was when werewolves were at their weakest, caught between wolf and man. 

"Are _you_ going to be alright tonight?" He asks Jo, shaking off his reminiscing. He was a relatively new wolf and it would take a few more changes for his body to get accustomed to the pain of rearranging bones and muscles.

"Yeah, after the run, we're going to play tag with some of the kids to help me train, and then I'll probably sleep it off." He didn't know what Timo looked like as a wolf but he still tried his best to imagine the puppy pile he would be buried under with Jo and the rest of the children. Volunteering for that brood was no joke, but at least they would have help from Thiago and some others.

"Be careful, I don't want to hear you ran off to chase a rabbit because it smelled tasty. Niklas told me that's how one of his cousins got lost in the woods once." Jo looked insulted for a moment before rolling his eyes.

"His twelve year old cousin. Magnus already gave me the be responsible, representing the pack, bitten wolf speech. It was terrifying and disturbing." 

"He always is." Basti blithely replies before messing with Jo's hair and patting his shoulder. 

"No, he likes you. He tolerates me." Jo returns the favor by knocking his knee into him and squeezing his hand. It took a while before Basti had felt remotely comfortable with Joshua in the pack, even after everything that happened. It was mostly due to Basti still adjusting to the bleed-through of the pack bond, but it was also his own irrational fear of having to share Niklas' time with someone else. It had been the two of them in their own little bubble of not quite explained phenomenon until Bayern with its den of wolves and human packmates all willing to welcome them into the fold came along.

Basti had been ready to go against the world when Niklas told everybody he was pack, not have to play catch up and let that world into their bubble.

-

"You hold all the power, Mr. Rudy. It's as simple as that." The alpha irritated the hell out of him sometimes, and this was definitely one of those times. Basti wasn't an idiot. Half the cryptic nonsense the older man spouted was to gauge his reaction to it. He found Niklas charming and doted on him like a long, lost relation as most wolves do, but his real interest in them was Basti and his bond with Niklas. There was an extremely fine line between gathering information and making an interesting acquaintance for the alpha.

"You don't believe me?" Magnus smiled with too many teeth, but Basti refused to be intimidated by assholes, even ones who could definitely kill him and get away with it.

"Even in regular pack bonds, humans hold much of the power. It's a sign of strong leadership to hold onto a human pack member for long. They're not built to last with humans, not a fault with your kind, but by design. Most ordinary people cannot handle to burden of being pack." 

"Yes, yes, I'm special. I'm a wizard." A chosen one, emphasis on the 'one' rather than the 'chosen'. Basti has found a lot of sympathy for Harry Potter lately. 

"It's true. You've seen the numbers yourself. Bonds like yours and Niklas' aren't common for a reason. I told you how the bond works, where it lives. Stronger men have run from less. Niklas may have been the one to latch onto you, the one with the capability to extend an offering of pack, but you're the one who chose to stay."

Basti straightens up, something in his tone jogging his memory, making it stand out. 

"But you can't, you can't run from this. You said it before pack could die or leave or however else you can break the tie between them but this is different." It was, that much he knew. He would rather set himself on fire than deny Niklas and what they had.

"Would you, if it were possible?" Magnus asks lightly as if he were asking him his preference of tea.

"No," He leans on the table, a touch too aggressively but the alpha doesn't react at all beyond a gleam in his eye. Basti wanted to snarl, to get the message across as clear and as deep as he could. Niklas was his. No one could take him away. No one could take the bond away from them. It wasn't possible. Basti couldn't even picture his life without Niklas. It was worse than being alone. It was terrifying.

"Nevertheless, you would know better than I, the consequences of the bond. Yours is very robust for being so recently discovered. Tradition states that after an alpha acknowledges your union, you stand together before the full moon to be blessed, but your demeanor around other wolves is still a work in progress. Balance is difficult to manage under such circumstances." Magnus neatly moves on while trailing breadcrumbs as he always does.

"Blessed? By whom?" Basti asks suspiciously.

"A moon mother."

-

The woman who stands before them is wrapped up in furs, the hood across her shoulders is red, studded with what looked like pearls, milky and catching the light of the fires that had already begun to crackle. The back of her hands all the way up to her jaw were painted a chalky white. Her cheeks were also adorned with streaks of white in stylistic fangs. The moon mother was part of an old traditional sect within the community. They followed the old ways of living, remembering that the wolf was above all else a part of nature and that the werewolf should celebrate being one with their mother in the sky.

The hush that fell over the wolves felt a little unnatural, rapt in attention as they were to hear her speak. Basti shivered with the cold and the silence. 

"A wolf seeks to claim a mate tonight under the sacred light of our first mother. Our people rejoice with thee, brother, because there is no other who can share your path. We stand witness to this, as a wolf meets his one. We bless thee on this holy night to be forever under the watchful eye of our mother, to guide and protect the other, and be one until the end of time. May your souls forever recognize the love in your union and never falter." She steps down from her platform, making barely a sound as she walks to Niklas. 

"Brother, do you accept this one, to be the future and present of your days, to love as only you can?" 

Niklas stands tall, naked from the chest up in deference to the night and the rites, but he doesn't shake, only bows his head to the moon mother and says clearly, "I do."

She takes a pot from one of her attendants and swipes a line of red down his forehead almost to the bridge of his nose. Then, she turns to Basti. 

"And you, brother, do you accept this one, to be the future and present of your days, to love as only you can?" There's a quick murmur that is just as suddenly tamped down at her words but Basti didn't know and didn't care what was wrong because what mattered was his answer and only that. 

"I do," The moon mother and he stare at one another and he thinks he sees a hint of a smile before she turns to the moon maiden beside her and picks up the same red powder to coat two fingers before drawing a line from below his lips to his adam's apple.

"Now you must anoint each other and drink to your union." She gestured to the women behind her and they held a cup and another one of those shallow pots to them. Basti had thought about this step a lot in particular. The anointing was up to the person doing it. Niklas had less room to work with since he insisted Basti didn't need to observe the Rites shirtless and shouldn't be since it was the middle of winter. Magnus had said it would show his commitment to the tradition. Basti had compromised with not wearing a jacket and layering as much as possible without looking like an idiot. 

Niklas stepped up first to dip his thumb into the pot. He smiled as he faced Basti and brushed down both his cheeks. 

He heard a few gasps behind them. Niklas only had eyes for him and mouthed a low "okay?" before Basti nodded, heart pounding. He had given him fangs, like the moon mother had, a symbol of being holy and precious and just as bound to moon as the rest of the wolves here. It was perfect, and he loved Niklas all the more for it.

Basti's hands were frozen and shaking but he managed to coat his four fingers like he planned and streak four white lines over Niklas' heart. 

_You're mine and I'm yours._

The cup they shared was filled with something that tasted bitter and herbal with the kick of a strong spirit, so it tasted foul, but it warmed Basti to the bone. The moon mother clapped once before declaring that their mother was pleased and they should tie the bonds they shared on earth as they were in the heavens. The crowd exploded into life, cheering for them and toasting to their union as drinks were passed around.

"Did she just tell us to have sex?" Basti whispered as Niklas draped himself on him as best he could to buffer him from the cold. There were only a few hours until the peak of the full moon and Niklas was already feverishly warm to the touch.

"Um, yeah, but it's traditional, the traditional words to end on. They don't really mean that we have to go, do that now." Niklas stumbled through his words, plastered against his back, arms around his chest and head resting on his shoulder.

"Later then," Basti half nods to himself and brushes his cheek to Niklas'. He feels Niklas' breath hitch, but continues his nuzzling, giddiness and joy fizzing through him in wild bursts. They lumber through a few unsteady steps before Magnus appears in front of them.

"Congratulations you two, this was certainly one for the history books. Everyone's going to be talking about it for a while I'm sure." He hands them two open bottles of beer before leaving to schmooze or plot some sort of evil. Basti was sure Magnus was absolutely thrilled with the outcome and would be lording the story over the other alphas soon enough.

"Sniff these," Basti shoved the bottle necks over to Niklas who obediently did as he asked.

"Smells normal to me." Niklas plucks one from his hands and starts drinking.

"I wouldn't put it past him to put something in them to start tying our heavenly bonds sooner and in full view of everyone rather than later." Niklas hums out an agreeing noise before grabbing the other bottle.

"Hey, that's mine. Did you already finish yours?" Basti looked up at him in concern, only to find him grinning back. 

"Yes, and I'll give it back if you give me a kiss." Basti rolls his eyes at the condition but pulls Niklas down by his shoulders to bring his lips up to Niklas and snatch the beer back as they parted. 

"I win, because I would've kissed you for free." Basti takes a drink triumphantly. Niklas huffs out a laugh before wrapping one arm around his waist to avoid shuffling around like they previously attempted.

"No, I'm pretty sure I win because you're mine." 

A throat clearing distracts them from continuing their game, and they turn to find Thomas in an eye-watering parka in colors better suited for a clown's birthday party than the new moon ceremony. He doesn't have a drink in his hand but he did have a plate of sausages and steak. 

"That was a great wedding ceremony," Basti opens his mouth to correct him, but thinks better of it, knowing the harder he denied it the more Thomas would dig in his heels. "It reminded me of my wedding, and I was starving after we got through the whole day. Lisa kept saying she was fine but she ate more than I did at the reception so clearly she was lying. Anyway, I bet you two are hungry." 

The looked hopefully at the plate in his hand. 

Thomas shook his head, "Oh no, this isn't for you, Jerome told me to come find you because he's grilling and the kids are getting hungry, waiting for you. Come on, I'll show you where we are." So they followed him back to the camping grounds Basti hadn't seen yet, since he had to follow the 12 steps of ablutions before meeting Niklas, half of them had been with Jo and the rest had been alone. The campsite wasn't too far out, judging by how far they had walked before he heard very loud arguing. Niklas wrinkled his nose while Thomas scratched at his face, seemingly unconcerned.

"I told you if you couldn't handle this, you should've gone with Manu and Rafinha to-" He hears Boa before he hears the retching. 

"Fuck off, I'm handling it. I'm a fucking adult. I'm handling it like an adult." They see Mats leaning on a tree before he starts to gag again. 

Niklas and Basti had invited the majority of the team to celebrate with them, but they hadn't expected this turn out since the wolf moon was always a busy time for most wolves. Basti had seen Mark briefly in the afternoon and he had invited some others at Schalke but most of them had declined, citing other plans. Ralf had only shook his head before apologizing. Jo, Timo, Leon, and Serge were huddled with two of the newer Bayern acquisitions by a tent and David was watching the meat while Boa edged closer to Mats, holding a towel to his face. 

"Mats," Boa reached out a hand.

"No, leave me alone." He shoved off the tree to sway on his feet before he looked up and saw them.

"Congrats to the happy couple." He simpered, falsely sweet before turning around and spitting on the ground.

"Jesus christ, Mats, would you just-" Boa grabbed his arm only for him to pull it away, yanking hard and stumbling a step before righting himself. Basti sees his hand go up to his face, roughly swiping across his eyes. 

"Don't tell what to do. I've had enough of that." Mats mutters darkly before stomping off into the woods. Boa takes in a deep breath before letting it out very slowly. 

"David, Jo." He calls out calmly. Joshua whines, and looks at Niklas who shrugs and nods, before trudging after Mats. 

"David, take some water with you. He won't drink it so just dump it over his head until he regains some sense." David salutes before grabbing his phone and a gallon of water.

"Sorry about that. Mats doesn't handle Wolf's Brew well apparently." Boa ruefully smiles before welcoming them. Thomas slides out of the way, as the rest of the players come up to congratulate and thank them for the invite. Basti sees Thomas briefly whisper something to Serge before heading in the same direction as Mats went. 

Niklas nudges him with an elbow.

"It was a very beautiful ceremony to see. It is different from Korea. Thank you very much." The kid in front of them struggles with the language barrier before the other one slings an arm around his shoulder, shaking their hands with the other.

"Davies, Alphonso. You can call me Davies, Phonzo, Phonzie, Davie, it's all good. Super cool ceremony. Never been to a wedding like that. Are you gonna wash that off? Or are you supposed to keep it on? Have you seen the tents? Yours is the huge one in the back." He gestures first to their faces and then back to the tents before Leon ushered both boys out of the way to hug them.

"That was incredible. You made some wolves really mad but it was worth it. Congratulations. You deserve it." He smiles faintly before going over to help Boa serve up plates.

Timo is the last in line, awkwardly lingering before looking back into the trees and back at them.

"Thank you for the invitation. My mom will be sad she missed it. She couldn't, um, get away in time but she sends her regards." He nods before looking down.

Sabine Werner was a formidable woman and even more formidable wolf. Basti had immediately liked her, once their packs had gone into talks over Joshua and Timo's decision. She had been honest with them and it had helped immensely when the Leipzig den started making noises about contracts and stipulations. With Basti's transfer pitching their pack into more of a mess, they didn't need Jo to inadvertently cause more trouble. Luckily Serge and Leon had been there to calm him down a bit and talk about their different pack and den experiences. 

It's only after they've sat down with their food in hand that they take in the amount of work on the tents. It was a freestanding room rather than an ordinary camping tent, large enough to house six for a night. It was clearly just for them as there were four smaller versions pitched in a semicircle up further. 

"Remind me to thank Jerome after this is all over." Basti leans on Niklas' side, yawning as all his exhaustion kicks in suddenly. Niklas keeps feeding him bites of steak from his own fork between eating.

"About tonight," He hesitantly starts. "Just keep up as best as you can. I'll come back and find you." Basti places a hand on his knee to stop it from moving.

"Don't worry. I know what to do." 

-

This full moon is called the wolf moon for a particular reason. It's renewal and rebirth, another year, a fresh pelt. The run was a symbol of long-standing togetherness. All wolves were family, but running with your friends and pack felt like committing to sticking together, to spending the rest of the year together until the next wolf moon. He liked that sentiment, even when he was younger without a pack, just bounding along with family. 

He howls one last time, hears calls in return before racing to catch the dying trail of Basti' scent. He had turned back when the moonlight hadn't been strong enough to shine through the trees. Camp is easy to find, but the fun of chasing is going the exact way his mate took. It's a winding path, deliberately or not deliberately, he ends up near the river, past the main grounds and finally to their tent. He circles the fake room, rubbing past chairs and other furniture before scrabbling onto the bed and under the thick quilt and covers. 

"That tickles," Basti complains sleepily before shifting to his side to give him more room to curl up beside him. He smells warm, clean in a way that smells just of Basti, all of his base notes and nothing covering it up. He snuffles into his armpit.

"Are you going to stay like this the whole night?" It reminded him of the first time he found him. The wolf had never wanted to leave their safe room before, but it had strained and fought and bruised itself until he escaped, until he could chase down the smell to Basti's house.

He'd been terrified, and then confused at him staying docile, guarding him until the pull of the moon felt weaker and he could transform back to explain.

"I don't mind, but I'd rather have the Niklas with hands instead of paws." He brushed down his flank. "We only have a few more hours, and yesterday wasn't enough." Basti's scent changes, deepening. He hops off the bed to circle the foot of it and shift, the sounds of cracking and popping taking over his ears. The change leaves him trembling, the scent of blood mingling with everything else in the air. Basti is propped up, using his elbows for leverage to see him better, sheets pooling down around him.

"Come here," and he can't resist the siren's call, unsteady as he is with new skin and new limbs. Niklas crawls into bed and feels safe in Basti's arms. The edge of worry is replaced by sweetness that is soothing until he realizes they're both naked.

"Basti, you're naked." He says out loud even as his hands confirm and re-confirm the idea. 

"Is that a problem?" Basti looks smug and up to no good. 

"No, it's, it's good." He stutters out. 

"Good, so we should take advantage of no one else being around to celebrate. Everybody out there knows what we are to each other now. It's all official." He makes random patterns against his chest with his fingertips, going low, then high and back. Niklas' eyes flutter shut. It's all still a little too raw, where there was peace is all lapping waves now. His senses were adjusting back to zero, but he knew Basti was right, there wasn't anyone for miles. All alone for the first time today. The day everyone got to know he was his. 

Basti went lower and lower, skimming fingers down until he reached his goal. 

"Niklas," he opens his eyes, and Basti is radiating affection instead of lust, "I love you." His body reacts on its own, flushing hot and shuddering with intensity.

"Basti," he needs them to be closer, needs him like he needs air. It's not enough, he remembers Basti saying. Yesterday with quick hands and slick mouths. It wasn't enough and somewhere in the back of his mind, he wonders if it'll ever be enough. If he'll ever look at Basti and not want to tear him apart just to lovingly remake him once more, piece by piece, kiss by kiss. He can't imagine it. The moon mother had said their souls would meet again and again because they belonged together. 

"Mine," he says lovingly, ducking down to kiss him. The word fills him up with sparks, a livewire running through him that only wants to ignite against Basti. He still has flecks of red and white on his face. The fangs half rubbed away and the dip between his mouth and chin just a touch red. Nothing smelled out of place. It was all Basti and him. It was perfect. He presses him into the pillows, kissing and touching his fill, no plan in mind but to take his time. Basti lets him.

"Mine," he rumbles into his neck, hands on his hips to keep him from moving. He feels wetness against his thigh. Basti shallowly takes breaths, fingers clenching and unclenching in the sheets. He bites with human teeth, taking skin just so between them before blowing wetly, sucking a mark on his chest messily. 

Basti strains up. Niklas pushes him down, gripping tighter. He throws back his head, a stream of noises coming out of his mouth that ends in gasping when Niklas' tongue laps at his nipples.

"God," he chokes out. Niklas grins into his ribs before moving ahead with his tongue and teeth to the soft skin under his belly button. He can smell the salt of him, the pheromones making him drool as he presses his lips to his middle. He groans, nipping for the sake of it. Basti beats down a fist against the mattress.

"Please, Niklas." He sobs, trembling with the effort of holding still. Niklas stops to look up, watching him whimper into his fist, biting his knuckles. He pets down his thighs, goosebumps rising at his touch, before he moves up, taking Basti's hand away from his mouth, rubbing at the track of tears coming from his eyes.

"I'm okay, I'm okay." Basti says in a rush as he grabs his hand still rubbing wet fingertips together. "Yours, okay. I'm yours." Niklas kisses his temple, the curve of his cheek, the tip of his nose, and his mouth again and again until Basti tries to grab his flushed cock.

Niklas bats his hands away, sitting up. Basti is glassy-eyed with want. 

He gets his hands under him to turn him over and Basti goes on his stomach, before Niklas nudges at his legs and arms. He goes to his knees, back stretched out before dragging a pillow under himself and handing him a small tube of lube. Niklas stares at it before putting aside. Basti goes on his elbows, breathing hard, eyes dark and dazed. Niklas wants to eat him, so that's what he does.

His tongue licks around his own slick fingers inside him before Basti shoves back insistently, red spreading from his face down to his chest. 

"Mine," he croons into his ear as he guides the head of his cock into him. Basti spine bows low, before he leans into the pillow face down. Niklas grabs his hair to pull his head back and hear Basti moan loud and broken. He pulls his hips back against him viciously, knowing he won't last long, feeling the need to come inside him, to mark him. Niklas would howl if his vocal chords allowed it, instead he hunches over, pushing his weight down on top of Basti until his nose is brushing hair. His teeth feel too blunt in his mouth, not good enough to bite down and claim. He growls. It doesn't matter because he'll just do it again and again until it stays permanent on his skin. 

He bites down on the back of his neck, intent on marking him for everyone to see. Basti cries out, coming untouched. Niklas lets go, huffing against the red indentations of his teeth, heart beating wild with triumph. The urge to stay like this is overwhelmingly strong, even as his cock softens and it all feels too intense to hold onto for long. He moves away, puts some distance between their bodies and the haze spinning his mind into loops all centered on Basti. He presses a hand to the pale expanse of his back, watching as it went up and down in time with his breathing. He still needed to be connected to him in some shape or form. He craved it always, _always_. 

“Niklas,” Basti turns to face him, catching his hand with his before lacing their fingers together. Niklas looks to the canopy above them, eyes burning. He loves him so much, too much, that he’ll never be sure he can express it the right way, but today was close, with the Rites and this. 

"Can I...?" Niklas asks roughly, without finishing the thought. 

"Still sensitive," Basti warns before he waves his hand as if to say go ahead.

He cleans him up slowly, enjoying the taste and the act. Basti spreads his legs out with a pleased sigh, twitching away when the feel of Niklas' tongue got to be too much. He catalogues every mark he’s left with a kiss, silently guilty at the lengths of his need. 

"I should still shower." Basti says into the air. Niklas wraps himself around him to hold him off, not ready to explain why he shouldn't. It was important he stay, stay like this and stay with him. 

“They’re going to give us so much shit if I don’t.” He adds, but doesn’t make a move to leave him. 

“I’ll miss you.” It slips out without a thought. It's true enough, he'd miss him if he left the tent for twenty minutes or when he leaves to go back to gelsenkirchen. He knows he'll come back but it doesn't change the fact that Niklas misses him when he isn't right beside him. 

"I know, I-" Basti stops himself, shifting around in his arms. "We're here now. We're here together. No matter what happens, I'm yours and you're mine." He takes his hand and presses it on his chest, where he had left his fingerprints before.

"I'm yours, you're mine, my heart, my _one_." Niklas whispers before kissing him gently. 

"I love you."

**Author's Note:**

> this is the last thing i really wanted to write for the series even though it's more of a bookend then a final chapter. Perfectly open to suggestions on more in this verse but i'm moving onto other ideas in the meantime. thanks for reading.


End file.
